Saturday, November 27, 2010

Just finished reading...

...ORYX AND CRAKE by the utterly brilliant Margaret Atwood.

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An absolutely horrendous vision of the end of the world as we know it, ORYX AND CRAKE simply takes what already exists in our world currently and follows its logical course of events to a nightmarish end. Snowman tells the story of his life, his best friend, the girl they loved, and the their crossed and twisted paths that lead to the end of mankind.

The genetically modified plants and animals that populate this story are nearly as sad and upsetting as the end of our species. Interestingly, the one that upset me the most was the Chickie Nobs--a featherless chicken blob without legs, a beak, eyes or even a brain or head. It looks like a sea anemone and grows chicken parts at the end of stalks. It seems entirely plausible that some large company (either food or genetics) would genetically modify a creature to produce more food without the pesky living creature getting in the way. Terrifying.

Margaret Atwood's visions of the future always scare me: THE HANDMAID'S TALE is yet another take on a possible future we are headed for with the crazy Radical Christian Agenda forcing everyone to live like we are in the Dark Ages. Atwood's imagination and power over the scenario are always breathtaking. Her writing style seems effortless and creates a book like white rapids: you get in the boat and hold on for the ride.

Recommend? Oh, yes...yes. Might as well see now what the future is going to be... so you can duck when you see it coming at you.

(PS: Starting part two of the story, THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD, next.)

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